Maine Trivia & Tidbits - Page 10

Looking for Maine trivia? Try our list Maine little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

An explosion aboard the USS Maine as it sat in Cuba’s Havana Harbor in 1898 thrust the United States into the Spanish-American War. The incident gave birth to the cry, “Remember the Maine!”

first appeared: 9/21/2003

The Lumbermen’s Museum in Patten (pop. 1,111) features nine buildings full of tools and equipment used by 19th-century woodsmen. In August, the museum hosts Bean Hole Day, featuring beans baked in the ground overnight.

first appeared: 9/14/2003

Former U.S. Secretary of State Edmund Muskie was born in Rumford (pop. 6,472) in 1914 and graduated from Bates College in 1936. Named the Democratic Party’s nominee for vice president in 1968, Muskie made his own presidential run in 1972.

first appeared: 9/7/2003

More than 200 vehicles used in Maine, from baby carriages and tricycles to snowplows and fire engines, are featured at the Cole Land Transportation Museum in Bangor (pop. 31,473).

first appeared: 8/31/2003

John Adams once argued and won a court case in the Pownalborough Courthouse in Dresden (pop. 1,625). Constructed in 1761, the building is the oldest pre-Revolutionary War courthouse still standing in Maine.

first appeared: 8/24/2003

Joshua L. Chamberlain, an instructor of logic at Bowdoin College in Brunswick (pop. 21,172), left his post in 1862 to serve as an officer in the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry. He later would be hailed a Union hero for ordering a fateful charge during the Battle of Gettysburg.

first appeared: 8/17/2003

An unsung hero of the Revolutionary War, Gen. Henry Knox hauled cannons by sled from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston to unseat the British. After serving as Secretary of War, he moved to Thomaston (pop. 2,714).

first appeared: 8/10/2003

The River Drivers, a bronze sculpture by Charles Tefft, a Brewer (pop. 8,987) native, memorializes workers in the dangerous logging occupation. Located in Bangor, (pop. 31,473) the statue depicts three men prying free a logjam.

first appeared: 8/3/2003

The fishing village of Winter Harbor (pop. 988), originally called Mosquito Harbor, was renamed to note the fact that the harbor’s waters never freeze in winter.

first appeared: 7/27/2003

Eartha, a 5,600-pound globe that mimics Earth’s rotation and revolution, is housed at the DeLorme Map Store in Yarmouth (pop. 8,360). The giant planet was built using information about Earth’s surface collected by satellites.

first appeared: 7/20/2003

Tiny and treeless, Machias Seal Island in the Gulf of Maine is claimed by both Canada and the United States. Some 3,000 Atlantic puffins also claim it during nesting season.

first appeared: 7/13/2003

French explorer Samuel de Champlain discovered Mount Desert Island in 1604. The name reflects his perception of the island’s bare-topped mountains as barren.

first appeared: 7/6/2003

Quoddy Head Light is the easternmost point in the United States, making it the first place in America to see the rising sun.

first appeared: 6/29/2003

Maine boasts 63 lighthouses along its coast, including Portland Head Light, commissioned by George Washington. Cape Neddick Lighthouse is reportedly one of the nation’s most photographed lighthouses.

first appeared: 6/22/2003

The Maine Potato Blossom Festival, held annually in Fort Fairfield (pop. 3,579) for 56 years, features festivities such as mashed potato wrestling and a Potato Queen pageant.

first appeared: 6/15/2003

Maine social reformer Dorothea Dix fought against slavery and for women’s suffrage and improved treatment for the mentally ill. Her service as a nurse during the Civil War convinced military officials women could do the job.

first appeared: 6/8/2003

In 1851, Neal Dow of Portland guided his “Maine Law” through the Legislature, making Maine the first “dry” state. For his efforts, Dow was dubbed the “Napoleon of Temperance.”

first appeared: 6/1/2003

Maine raises 98 percent of the nation’s low-bush blueberries. The berry’s importance is celebrated every August in Rangeley (pop. 1,200) with the Blueberry Festival.

first appeared: 5/25/2003

Maine’s state animal, the moose, is the largest antlered animal in North America. Moose generally eat tree leaves and twig tips, but also have a fondness for aquatic plants.

first appeared: 5/18/2003

Legend has it that Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, smuggled her cats to Wiscasset (pop. 3,603), where they bred with local housecats to produce the Maine coon cat.

first appeared: 5/11/2003

jump to page: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17

newspaper partner login create account

Recent

Popular

Recipes

Below are the most recent American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile recipes:

Relish

Spry

Below are the most recent articles from our Relish sister site. Click on the "Spry" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.

Below are the most recent articles from our Spry sister site. Click on the "Relish" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.